The glass collectors will leave a sticker (below) on your crate to let you know why they have either not emptied your crate or have left some items behind. If the collectors tick 'Other', they will write next to it the reason. This way you’ll know for next time.

Overfilled crate

If crates are filled past the top of the crate then glass bottles and jars can easily fall out and break when the crate is picked up for emptying. Broken glass on the footpath, kerbside or road are health and safety hazards for collectors, pedestrians, cyclists and other community members using these areas. If you have too much glass for the crate to contain safely, please save the extra glass for your next collection or take it to the transfer station.

Unaccepted items

We only accept glass bottles and jars for recycling. Other glass items such as window glass, light bulbs, drinking glasses, glass cookware, etc. are made from a different type of glass and cannot be recycled in the same way. Window glass and fluorescent tubes can be recycled at the transfer station. All other glass items (if they can’t be re-used or donated) need to go into your rubbish bin/bag. Rest assured we are always on the lookout for further glass recycling opportunities!

Broken glass is also not accepted. This is because our collectors need to sort the bottles and jars by hand at the kerbside and we don’t want them to get cut. If you wish, you can take broken glass to the transfer station and put it in the correct glass colour recycling cage (be careful not to cut yourself!), alternatively please wrap the broken glass in newspaper and put it in your rubbish bin/bag.

Contamination

The crates are for glass bottles and jars only. Putting in other items contaminates the crate and can make the entire contents unrecyclable/unserviceable. Common contaminants are plastic, cardboard, paper, metals and food.

Please ensure that lids are removed and any residue is rinsed out. Thin metal rings and sleeves around the necks of bottles/jars are okay to leave on, as are thin paper and plastic labels as they will burn off in the glass recycling furnaces.

Unofficial crate

Council contractors are paid to collect blue Tauranga City Council branded crates only. If they collected additional glass from non-council crates the service cost to Council would increase. This would eventually result in increased rates charges to cover the costs of the increased service. You can request an additional crate online or call us on 07 577 7000.

Access restrictions

Crates might not be emptied if the contractors have difficulty accessing the crate. E.g. the crate is blocked by parked vehicles or other objects. Even though the collector has accessed the crate to put on sticker it, it may have been unsafe to drive the truck to the that area. Contractors are not allowed to carry crates for long distances for health and safety reasons.

Please ensure that you put our crate out at the kerbside and leave about an arm’s length gap between other objects.

Damaged bin or crate

A damaged crate or bin may break apart or split when moved or lifted. This could cause the glass contents to break which would be a safety issue for both collectors and residents. Please report a damaged crate to council by completing the online missing or damage crate form on the website or by calling 07 577 7000.

Wrong location

Every crate has been allocated to an individual residential property address. The crates are council owned and have a property ID tags on them so we know where they belong. If crates are put out for collection outside the wrong property address, it will not be serviced. The crate should be returned to the correct property location.

Property tag not present

The collection crates are council owned and have a property ID tags on them so we know which property they have been allocated to. If the property tag has been removed or tampered with the crate will not be serviced. If the property tag is not present on your crate, please report it to council on 07 577 7000.